Essays Archive | Los Angeles Review of Books

All Essays

What Do They Want, What Do They Want, What Do They Want?
Kevin Koczwara reminisces on Jim Carrey’s film oeuvre, from “Ace Ventura” and “Man on the Moon” to “Sonic the Hedgehog 3.”
Kevin KoczwaraJul 28
- Film
- Cultural Studies
No, Time to Die: The Biden Years On-Screen, Part Two
In the second installment of a quarterly series, Brendan Boyle and Adam Nayman consider the cinema of the Biden years.
Brendan Boyle, Adam NaymanJul 26
- Film
- History
Intuitive, Impractical Passions
Dan Nadel on the work of legendary underground cartoonist, artist, and sculptor Michael McMillan.
Dan NadelJul 21
- Art & Architecture
- Comics
The Afterlife of “Sunset Boulevard”
Ethan Warren argues that Jamie Lloyd’s “Sunset Boulevard” revival strips away theatrical excess.
Ethan WarrenJul 18
- Film
- Music
The Denny’s on Wilshire Boulevard
Alexander Chee writes the second installment of the column I Come Here Often, from LARB Quarterly no. 45: “Submission.”
Alexander CheeJul 17
- LARB Lit
- Memoir & Essay
The Pool at the LINE
Maya Binyam writes the first installment of the column I Come Here Often, from LARB Quarterly no. 44: “Pressure.”
Maya BinyamJul 17
- LARB Lit
- Memoir & Essay
“Mother Mary Comes to Me” by Arundhati Roy
In her first work of memoir, acclaimed author Arundhati Roy recounts her remarkable life, tracing in particular her complicated relationship to her mother Mary. Vulnerable, compassionate, and sagacious at once, the LARB Book Club Fall 2025 pick is “Mother Mary Comes to Me” by Arundhati Roy.
Jul 16
The Party
Erin Taylor writes about a reclusive Hollywood couple in a short story from LARB Quarterly no. 45: “Submission.”
Erin TaylorJul 15
- LARB Lit
- Fiction
We Killed the Right Animal
Nate Rogers revisits Larry McMurtry’s barn burner “Lonesome Dove,” which turned 40 this year and is experiencing a renaissance.
Nate RogersJul 14
- Fiction
Taste Test
Cory Bradshaw describes the art and agony involved in making amateur porn in an essay for LARB Quarterly no. 45: “Submission.”
Cory BradshawJul 13
Harryette Mullen’s “Implications”
The LARB Quarterly no. 45, “Submission,” presents a new poem by Harryette Mullen.
Harryette MullenJul 12
- LARB Lit
- Poetry
Sawako Nakayasu’s “Strange freedom of the dog”
The LARB Quarterly no. 45, “Submission,” presents a new poem by Sawako Nakayasu.
Sawako NakayasuJul 11
- LARB Lit
- Poetry
Caitlyn Klum’s “Gymnasium”
The LARB Quarterly no. 45, “Submission,” presents a new poem by Caitlyn Klum.
Caitlyn KlumJul 10
- LARB Lit
- Poetry
A Trumped-Up Spectacle
James Chandler considers what Roland Barthes’s famous essay about wrestling can tell us about reality and shared illusion in Donald Trump’s Washington.
James ChandlerJul 9
- Politics
- Education
John James’s “Future Perfect”
The LARB Quarterly no. 45, “Submission,” presents a new poem by John James.
John JamesJul 9
- LARB Lit
- Poetry
Paula Bohince’s “The Green”
The LARB Quarterly no. 45, “Submission,” presents a new poem by Paula Bohince.
Paula BohinceJul 8
- LARB Lit
- Poetry